May 28. 2003
(Elje Jlortlanò ©bsvruer
Page A7
CAREERS Special Editio n
Five Common Cover
Letter Mistakes
Recruiters read thousands o f
resumes over their careers. After
a while, all those resumes start to
blend together.
So how can you, an anony-
mousjob seeker, catch a recruiter's
eye? Introduce yourself with an
effective cover letter.
Sure, a resum e lists all o f your
ach iev em en ts, but a resum e
c a n ’t capture your personality
. passion or desire for a particu
lar job. A cover letter is the p er
fect place to let potential em
ployers know you as a person:
W hat y o u ’ve done, w hat you
can offer and how you express
yourself. And th e re’s an added
bonus: You can write in full sen
tences instead o f fragm ents or
bullet points.
M any jo b se e k e rs sp e n d
hours crafting each item on their
resum e. Then they w hip out a
quick-and-dirty cover letter full
o f m istakes — not realizing that
a cover letter is ju st as im por
tant as a resum e.
State exactly which jo b you’re
applying for. Include the exact
name o f the position. If the ad
provided a job ID number, then
include that too. It's also a good
idea to mention where you heard
about the opening.
M any recruiters handle hun
dreds o f jo b openings, so they
w on’t automatically know which
one y o u ’re gunning for. By re
m inding them o f the specific
opening for w hich y o u 're ap
plying, you'll make it more likely
that your resum e will be read by
the right person.
Do you send the exact same
cover letter to every employer?
Big mistake.
The point o f a cover letter is to
make a personal connection with
the reader. So to write a success
ful cover letter, you should tailor
it specifically to each company
you send it to.
Community College Grads on Career Paths
Get on board TriMet
and make your
career connection
p
ss;-
North Portland
resident Tracy
LeanneJones
overcame a
learning
disability and
economic
disadvantages
on her career
path as a
student at
Portland
Community
College.
■F
With over 2,600 employees, TriMet proudly serves
our community, offering exciting career opportuni
ties in many different areas.
Visit TriMet’s website at trimet.org/jobs, call our Job
Hotline at 503-962-7640 (TTY 503-238-5811) or
stop by our office at 4012 SE 17th Ave. in Portland.
_____________
T R I © M E T
_____________
See where it takes you.
Portland Community College is celebrat
ing its 41 st and largest graduation ceremony
ever, awarding 2,934 diplomas to PCC gradu
ates. Commencement exercises are set for
Friday, June 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Memo
rial Coliseum.
Family, friends, faculty and staff will be on
hand to congratulate the graduates and cel
ebrate their accomplishments.
PCC is the largest and most ethnically di
verse institution o f higher education in Or
egon. It serves more than 105,000 full-and part-
time students. Ethnic minority students make
up 26 percent o f the student population. Stu
dents hail from all walks o f life, ranging in age
from 14to96.Thisyear’sgraduatingclassis 14
percent larger than last year.
Tracy Jones, student leader at the Cas
cade Campus in north Portland, was chosen
to deliver the student address. Jones, a single
mother o f three who began her studies from
a homeless shelter, has plans to transfer this
fall to the University o f Maryland.
The 36-year-old mother o f three young
boys had a rocky start to college. She lost her
ability to pay for housing when her partner
and the father o f her children lost his job.
From there, the road began to smooth out.
Jones said.
“I have created a support system in this
family at PCC and I am forever indebted to the
people who have helped me succeed in life,"
she said.
A lthough talented in art and m ath, Jones
struggled with reading and retaining infor
m ation due to a diagnosed learning d isab il
ity. But it did not prevent her from earning
good grades and induction in the national
com m unity college honor society, Phi Theta
Kappa. She has also been a student leader
at C ascade Cam pus, directing student pro
gramming.
Portland
C om m unity
C ollege
w w w .p cc.ed u
If you think these add up to a
great education, you’ve already
passed your first test.
Call 503-977-4519
■ a ■ « n e ■ •
I
JO S S
• •a s m a
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Find these jobs at:
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i
OR
www. nc. blm.gov/jobs
APOLLO COLLEGE
OVER 45,000 GRADUATES SINCE 197«
Lloyd Center Campus
2004 Lloyd Center (3rd Floor)
(503) 761-6100
BLM
Oregon/Washington
Equal Opportunity Employer
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